Enjoy watching free movies under the stars

In Yebisu Garden Place, a commercial complex in Tokyo’s Ebisu, films from Japan and other countries will be shown free of charge on Friday evenings, weekends and holidays from July 17 to Aug. 9.

For “Starlight Cinema 2009,” visitors can watch movies in the open space called Center Hiroba within Yebisu Garden Place. About 150 seats will be available.

Thirteen films, including three from the United States and four from France, will be screened.

On July 17, “Mamiya Kyodai” (“The Mamiya Brothers”), a Japanese movie about brothers living together in one of Tokyo’s shitamachi (old downtown) districts, will be screened.

On July 25, “Be Kind Rewind,” an 2008 American comedy directed by Michel Gondry, will be shown. In the movie, Jack Black plays a loveable loser who is going nowhere. When he unintentionally erases all the tapes in a video store, he devises a plan to satisfy the store’s few loyal customers by refilming every movie they wish to rent.

“The Bucket List,” also released in 2008, will be screened on July 26. In the film, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play terminally ill men who make lists of what they want to do in their time left and try to carry out their plans.

“Before Sunset,” an American movie released in 2004, will be shown on July 31. In this movie, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy play the roles of a couple who met on a train in Europe.

Yebisu Garden Place is a five-minute-walk from the east exit of JR Ebisu Station. Films are shown from 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and national holidays from July 17 to Aug. 9. On rainy days, screenings may be canceled. Before the show starts, seat tickets can be obtained from the Center Hiroba. For more information, check gardenplace.jp